The Hindu

Mangalore, Dec 12: Teachers and non-teaching staff in 26 government-aided private degree colleges in the State have been left in the lurch as the State Government has withheld salary grant to them for the second time in the past one year.

The has been done as these colleges have failed to obtain minimum B grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), sources in the Federation of University and College Teachers’ Associations in Karnataka (FUCTAK) said.

The government through its October 13, 2006 order had withheld salary grant to 49 government-aided private colleges, including these 26 colleges, as they did not obtain B grade from the NAAC last year. Following opposition to this from the FUCTAK, the government gave them a one-year extension to obtain the grade. It had continued to release the salary grant. As the deadline given to them has lapsed, the government has withheld the salary grant to the remaining 26 colleges.

Sources in the FUCTAK told The Hindu that the controversy related to obtaining a minimum B grade from the NAAC erupted in 1997 when managements of some private colleges which had obtained B grade from the NAAC sought salary grant from the government.

The basis for demand of the private colleges was that the government was giving grant to government-aided private colleges with C grade from the NAAC.

Their contention was that since their quality is above C grade, they should get the salary grant from the government.

Improper

Reacting to the Government’s decision A.M. Narahari, president, FUCTAK, said that it was not proper to link salary grant with the NAAC grade.

The new grading methodology of NAAC describes the quality of colleges which have obtained C grade as “satisfactory” and says “minimum level of academic accomplishment expected of an institution.”

If salary grant is withheld it will affect many colleges especially in rural areas, he said.